Pool Exercises: 3 Ways To Enjoy A Great Aquatic Workout

Lots of condo buildings these days come with swimming pools, but very few condo owners actually take advantage of them.

If you live in a condo with a pool, you should take advantage of your pool as a chance to change up your workout and enjoy the benefits of aquatic exercise.With these 3 aquatic exercises we’re going to show you, you don’t even have to be a great swimmer.

Benefits Of Aquatic Exercise

While running on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike, or lifting weights all have their own unique benefits, aquatic exercise offers one the most well rounded cardio/strength/weight loss platforms around. The level of activity needed to cut through water resistance gives you a great cardio workout, and it helps build your muscle strength as well. To top it all off, it’s low-impact, meaning you can do it even if you suffer from joint pain or other ailments.

Ready to get your swimmer’s body? Here are 3 simple aquatic exercises you can try in the pool, no matter your age, body type, or swimming ability:

Kickboarding

If you’re a capable swimmer, you can simply swim laps in the pool. If you’re not such a great swimmer though, kickboarding allows you to get the same benefit as swimmers do when they swim laps. As you might expect, you’ll need a kickboard in order to perform this exercise.

Simply grab the kickboard with your arms extended straight out, and use your legs to flutter kick. This will propel you back and forth from one end of the pool to the other. If you find it hard to stay afloat this way, you can also grab the front of the kickboard with your arms extended and rest the length of your arms on the kickboard – this will give you more buoyancy. Kickboarding is a fantastic cardio workout, as well as a strength building movement for your legs and your core.

Water Walking

Water walking is one of the simplest aquatic exercise you can do. While kickboarding can be intimidating to those who can’t swim, it’s easy to water walk even if you can’t do a simple back float.

Water walking simply involves walking through water at waist height. If your pool is shallow, you can walk from one end to the other. If your pool has a deep end, just walk from side to side in the shallow end. Keep your back straight, and arms moving like you would if you were just walking normally. Water walking will not only give you a great cardio workout, but it’ll strengthen your upper legs, your arms, and your core as well.

Resistance Movements

If you want to build a little strength but don’t feel comfortable lifting weights, you can try doing resistance movements in the pool. The idea is that you will use natural water resistance to counter-act your movements and strengthen your muscles. Resistance movements in the pool usually focus on strengthening and toning the legs, but the same principles can be used to strengthen the arms as well.

For example, to strengthen your legs, you can march in place in the water. Lift your knees up past 90 degrees and bring it back down, repeating the same motion with your other leg. You can also alternate bringing each leg out to the side, and back to the center. This is a great workout for your outer and inner thigh.

Hopefully, you have some ideas now on how to best take advantage of your swimming pool to exercise and lose weight. Aquatic exercises are a great way to mix up your workout, or to increase physical fitness if you suffer from joint pain.

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